


Pictures of Home

by Allerleirauh



Series: A Long Road [3]
Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, F/F, Home, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2014-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-03 21:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1757191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allerleirauh/pseuds/Allerleirauh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After coming out of stasis, Camile can't wait to see Sharon again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pictures of Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeganMoonlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganMoonlight/gifts).



> written for smallfandomfest round 15  
> prompt: coming home

“When you think of home, what image comes first to your mind?”

The question had come up one evening Camile had spent on the observation deck. It had been during one of the ‘talks-among-stars’, the informal gatherings of _Destiny’s_ crew, that had come into fashion shortly after they’d arrived in this new galaxy.

The question had come from Eli. Camile hadn’t been surprised. Looking at his face, seeing the wistful expression there was all it took to understand how much he missed his home.

Coming out of stasis had been a painful experience for all of them, but for some it had been more so than for others. Yes, they had been successful. They had made their long journey and arrived with their ship mostly intact. The loss of life, due to a handful malfunctioning pods, had hurt, but it could’ve been far worse. They all knew it.

Camile remembered the first time they had used their communication stones to contact Earth. No one had expected that it would be so difficult. No one would’ve thought it possible, that Stargate Command had already written them off. They had _told_ those bastards back home, that it would take _Destiny_ three years to reach this galaxy. Still, Earth had given up on them after only one, cutting all the funding that had been previously invested in the project to get _Destiny’s_ crew back home.

Camile had been furious. It was imperative, that they immediately started lobbying for that project to be picked up again. She had argued with Young and Rush, had practically yelled at them when she had discovered that both men had rather different priorities. Not understanding how important that project was, they had argued for putting  _Destiny_ first and ignoring all other concerns for the time being. In the end she had given in, even though the defeat had stung like a slap to the face.

Not long afterward, though, she had no energy left to fret over the matter. During those first weeks after coming out of stasis there simply wasn’t time and far too much to do. There were so many things they desperately needed. Food, water, and other perishable supplies were highest on their list, but other materials were needed, too. _Destiny_ might’ve survived their long and silent journey through the intergalactic void, but she hadn’t come out of it unharmed. The ancient ship was in desperate need of repairs.

As a consequence they had all worked like galley slaves, getting up for their shifts, working for twelve to sixteen hours before, and then sinking into their beds, often falling asleep before their heads even hit the pillow. Sometimes Camile had been so exhausted she had fallen asleep where she stood – just like that.

She had always seen Sharon in these all too fleeting episodes of microsleep. It was very simple, really. Camile had immediately known her answer to Eli’s question, had known it by heart and deep in her bones.

She had only one answer, but it was connected to countless images.

_Sharon was Home._

It was Camile’s mantra, her invocation. Thinking of home meant recalling every precious moment she and Sharon had shared. Camile saw her, standing in the open door to their house, waiting for Camile to come home after work. Camile saw her bantering with her, while Camile cooked dinner for them. She saw the two of them together, lying on the couch in their living room as they watched a movie.

There more intimate images, too. In a way these were the worst. Camile saw Sharon, standing before her, slowly unbuttoning her blouse, the look in her eyes full of mischief and promise. She saw Sharon, lying in bed, her back to Camile, only her head and one naked shoulder visible above the covering. She saw Sharon’s reddened, sweaty face, looking dreamy and sated as she gazed up at Camile.

She missed Sharon. She longed for her with an intensity she couldn’t express. Camile wished she could draw a sketch of her. It would be a relief to have something tangible to cling to, something more than just images. Camile had tried, over and over, but all her attempts had failed. She simply couldn’t get Sharon’s face right; that slightly impish expression that she always had when she was in a teasing mood. Camile saw it so clearly in her mind, but on paper it always turned into a caricature that brought tears of frustration to her eyes.

In the end Camile gave up, banishing all the unfinished sketches to her dresser. She wasn’t quite ready to destroy them, though.

_Sharon was Home._

Camile remembered her last visit to Earth, right before they had gone into stasis. Telling Sharon, that they wouldn’t be able to see each other for three years had been devastating enough, but watching her love slowly break down at hearing it had finally undone her.

Frantically Camile had searched for anything to say, anything more articulate than the soothing noises she had made, while she was cradling a sobbing Sharon. For a short moment filled with madness Camile had even considered to stay with her. There _had_ to be a way to keep the link open and to refuse the disconnect. There wasn’t of course.

Camile had felt so cheap then. Speaking at last, the platitudes, spilling over Camile’s her lips, had felt like venom.

“I promise I will visit you as soon as I’m out of stasis,” Camile had said.

“They say it’s not possible to dream while in stasis, but I don’t care. I’m going to dream of you every minute of those three years.”

“Please, sweetheart, don’t cry. I know it will be hard, but I love you. Never forget that, and I want to be with you, and if there’s any way, any way at all, I will find it, and come home. I promise,” she had told Sharon, Camile’s own voice thick with tears.

Now a month had passed since their arrival in this galaxy, and she hadn’t been able to see Sharon. Camile knew that Young had asked Stargate Command to inform all relatives of _Destiny’s_ crew, the family members that had waited three years to hear a word from them, that visits from _Destiny_ crewmembers had been suspended until they’d secured the most basic means for their survival. His decision had almost led to a mutiny.

Coincidentally, only three hours afterward half of their air filters had given out, a very timely reminder how precariously close they were to a sudden death. It had made even the most belligerent crewmembers reconsider their priorities. Camile had been sure, that Rush had staged the failure. She’d kept her mouth shut, though.

_Sharon was Home._

Today, Camile would finally see her. She was afraid and exhilarated at the same time. Her chest was so tight she could barely breathe. She hoped that Sharon was waiting for her at their house.

 _I’m going home_ , Camile thought. She didn’t care that it was just a visit. _I’m finally going home._


End file.
